My name is James Driscoll, and I am a current University of Canberra Sport Management student, expecting to graduate after Semester 1 2023. Throughout this semester, I undertook an internship with Water Polo ACT. This was my first experience working in a sport management role having only worked in volunteering roles such as refereeing and coaching in the past. Although I never had never played water polo myself in the past, having come from a soccer background, I have always held an interest in the sport as I have had family members play water polo previously and have always enjoyed watching the sport at the Olympic Games. This is why when I was looking for internships to do for my final semester of university, working at WPACT stood out among other sport organisations.

Throughout my internship, I was assigned a major project to create a sponsorship prospectus for WPACT. This was a task I took great pride in because I could see its potential to help the organisation and so I wanted to ensure that I produced a sponsorship prospectus that would be successful. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process as it was a task that both challenged and interested me. I also helped with the creation of the WPACT Australian Sports Foundation donation page, and helped with various other tasks that go on behind the scenes.

Additionally, I also helped with some of the day-to-day duties at WPACT including uploading scorecards and had the opportunity to help out at some of the school gala days that were held earlier in the year. Uploading scores, operating the scoreboard, and doing table duty all have given me a better understanding and appreciation for the sport of water polo.

I really enjoyed my internship at WPACT and appreciate the experience it has given me as I begin my career working in the sport industry. I enjoyed engaging in any task, no matter how small, that would help WPACT run smoothly and allow our athletes to focus on enjoying the great sport of water polo.

I would certainly recommend doing an internship at WPACT to others as it is a great way to gain crucial first experience working in the sport industry. It is a big difference going from a participant to someone who helps administer a sport and this has given me a greater appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes. I think it has prepared me well for the jobs and assignments I may have to do in the future, and I look forward to using my experience from this internship for future tasks.

I would like to thank Ryan and everyone working at WPACT for giving me this great opportunity and all the members I met throughout my time working here who embraced me into the community and were always up for a chat. It was a fantastic experience that I will always look back fondly on during my future endeavours.

Sincerely,

James Driscoll,

Sport Management Intern – Water Polo ACT 2023

If you would like to partake in a sports management or communication/marketing internship with Water Polo ACT, please contact - ryan.mcdermott@actwaterpolo.com